Metallica band

Metal band

Genres: thrash metal, speed metal, heavy metal, hard rock

Country: USA

History of Metallica

American metal band Metallica began its career back in 1981, when James Hetfield met Lars Ulrich. Although they started out as a duo, after several unsuccessful collaborations, bass guitarist Clifford Burton joined Metallica in 1982, followed a year later by current lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.

With this lineup, the future stars of heavy metal released their debut album, Kill 'Em All, and a year later, in 1984, they presented the album Ride the Lightning, which was much more successful. But the real sensation was created by the band's next work, the album Master of Puppets, released in 1986. But success was followed by tragedy: during a European tour, bass guitarist Clifford Burton died tragically, the tour was stopped, and with the blessing of Burton's family, the search for a replacement began, which was Jason Newsted.

Two years after the tragedy, Metallica, with its new lineup, presented its fourth album, ...And Justice for All, which not only became popular but also went platinum. To promote the album, the band embarked on the Damaged Justice tour.

In the 90s, the band released three albums, Metallica (1991), Load (1996), and Reload (1997), and the tour in support of Metallica lasted three years.

In early 2001, Jason Newsted left the band, after which Metallica went on a year-long "hiatus." In 2003, after a long search, Robert Trujillo joined the band and has been the bass guitarist to this day. That same year, with a new lineup, Metallica released the album St. Anger and embarked on a huge tour, the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, which lasted two years.

The next album, Death Magnetic, was released in 2008, reviving the band's former sound and marking another breakthrough in Metallica's career. Eight years later, Metallica presented their tenth studio album, Hardwired...To Self-Destruct. In 2023, Metallica released the album 72 Seasons, which consists of 12 tracks. These two albums were released on the musicians' own label. The band released their 12th album in 2025. The album is titled Under the Covers and consists of 18 songs.

Metallica has won numerous music awards, including two-time winners of Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist from the American Music Awards, winners of the ARTISTdirect Online Music Awards in five different categories, winners of the ASCAP Pop Music Awards and Bandit Rock Awards. They have also been multiple winners of the Billboard Music Awards, California Music Awards, Classic Rock Awards, and others. Most impressive is the number of Grammy wins and nominations, with the band nominated more than 25 times and winning 9 awards in various categories.

Metallica, true heavy metal dinosaurs, are largely responsible for making this musical style so popular and developed in the context of world music. For over 40 years, Metallica has been rocking the world's stages, their albums are considered heavy metal classics, and for many listeners, getting to their concert is a cherished dream.